What makes the Buffalo-Niagara region unique for fishing?

The Buffalo-Niagara region is unique because Lake Erie, the Niagara River, and Lake Ontario are all within a handful of miles. Close to 20% of the world's fresh water circulates through this area. These are distinct fisheries with different target species, all accessible within 30 minutes of each other.

How far in advance should I book a fishing charter in Buffalo NY?

Spring and fall book up about 3 months in advance. Summer trips are often available with shorter notice since days are long and multiple trips per day are common. Last-minute cancellations do happen, so it's worth calling even if booking inside the typical window.

What's the best time of year to fish in Buffalo-Niagara?

Fishing is available from mid-March through the end of December. Every season offers different species and techniques. Spring and fall are most popular due to the variety of fishing options and ability to find protected waters. Summer offers excellent all-day fishing with warm water temperatures.

What species can I catch in Buffalo-Niagara waters?

You can catch smallmouth bass, walleye, muskellunge, northern pike, steelhead, brown trout, king salmon, and lake trout. All of these can be caught throughout the year, but each species thrives at different times.

How long are charter fishing trips?

Full day trips are about 7 hours long. Half day trips are about 4 hours long. Trips can be tailored to fit your specific needs.

Do I need to bring my own fishing gear?

No. Brookdog Fishing Company provides top-of-the-line equipment that is perfectly suited for the techniques being used. All rods, reels, and bait are included and are dialed in specifically for Buffalo-Niagara fishing conditions.

What should I bring on a fishing charter in Buffalo NY?

Dress in layers for the weather conditions. Bring extra clothing in a backpack or duffel. A fishing license is required for anyone 16 or older. The captain provides breakfast sandwiches and bottled water. You can bring additional food and drinks in soft-sided bags (no hard coolers or glass bottles).

How much does a fishing charter cost in Buffalo NY?

Half day trips cost $450 and full day trips cost $600. This includes all equipment, bait, and instruction. Half day trips are typically only offered from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but exceptions can be made.

Do you offer fishing trips for beginners and families with children?

Yes! Beginner and family trips are among the most rewarding. The captain specializes in teaching fishing techniques and helping first-timers feel comfortable on the water. No prior fishing experience is necessary.

What happens if the weather is bad on my charter day?

The captain makes the call on weather cancellations based on safety and fishing conditions. Unsafe conditions include temperatures below mid-20s, winds over 40mph, waves bigger than 5 feet, persistent lightning, or heavy lake effect snow. If weather looks problematic, there will be a transparent conversation about options to reschedule or proceed.

What is the difference between fishing Lake Erie, the Niagara River, and Lake Ontario?

Lake Erie offers world-class walleye and smallmouth bass fishing in relatively shallow, warm waters. The Upper Niagara River between Lake Erie and Niagara Falls features excellent spring and fall smallmouth bass, walleye, and musky fishing. The Lower Niagara River between Niagara Falls and Lake Ontario provides year-round fishing for king salmon, steelhead, brown trout, and lake trout. Lake Ontario is a deep, cold-water fishery known for trophy salmon and trout.

What fishing techniques will we use on the charter?

Techniques vary based on season and target species, and include finesse fishing (jigging, casting swimbaits, dropshotting), power fishing (casting crankbaits, jerkbaits, blades/spoons), trolling (with inline weights, divers, and downriggers), and bottom bouncing.

Buffalo NY Fishing Report – 09/20/2026

by brookdog | Sep 20, 2026

Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Observations from 09/14 – 09/20/2026

Here’s our latest Buffalo NY fishing report: This week had a little bit of everything—big Lake Erie waves, excellent walleye and lake trout action, some good smallmouth fishing, and a trip back to the Lower Niagara. I also continued experimenting with the laker/walleye program out of Barcelona, including some excellent jigging. There were plenty of firsts for clients this week, along with some memorable fish and good conversations. One cancellation finally ended the September streak, but it gave me a chance to get some boat maintenance done and hit the gym. The Autumnal equinox is upon us folks, let the fall insanity begin.

Days on the water: 6

Who we fished with: friends/clients

Where we fished: Lake Erie, Lower Niagara

What we caught: lake trout, walleye, smallmouth bass, freshwater drum

Tactics: trolling worm harnesses, spoons, and stickbaits; casting finesse baits; vertical jigging; drifting live bait

Detailed Reporting/Daily Observations

09/14/2026 – Gold Mining Continues

Fished Lake Erie out of Hanover, NY with Mike and Mike, in town from Florida and Michigan. This father/son duo made the trip to the Buffalo-Niagara region to check out the Falls and do a little fishing. They wanted enough walleyes for a family fish fry that evening, and I told them I was confident we’d make that happen.

The lake was bigger than expected once we left the protection of the Catt. There was a stiff N wind blowing and consistent 1–3’ waves rolling out there. After a few minutes, Mike (the dad) remarked that he’d never been on the water in waves that big. He seemed somewhat excited about that idea. I replied that I do it all the time—it’s my favorite way to fish.

Weirdly, the bite started off super slow. We only landed a few fish in the first 45 minutes or so. There were plenty on the sonar, but only a handful of bites.

Then—chaos ensued, and we went on a tear.

Before we got our limit, the waves started to lay down. I proposed that we jig the last six fish, and the pace of that bite was just as fast as it had been earlier. The calmer conditions also let us chat for a while and trade stories. Conversation flowed and we caught fish throughout. Awesome trip with great folks!

09/15/2026 – Day 1 with John and Friends

Fished Lake Erie out of Buffalo, NY with John, Paul, and Ken. The target was smallmouth bass, and we had near-perfect conditions for it—stiff wind out of the SE with just the right amount of chop.

We started in deep water, but the guys were having a hard time detecting bottom through the wind and waves cutting through the braided line. So, I made the move to shallower locations, and we got into them at a steady pace.

Numbers were excellent. Size was OK. Fun day getting out there in the waves, and we had the lake to ourselves.

09/16/2026 – Day 2 with John and Friends

Fished Lake Erie out of Barcelona Harbor, NY with John, Paul, and Ken. We started off targeting lake trout—that bite was excellent. However, we didn’t land many big fish. After wearing out the arms a little bit, we converted to walleye fishing.

We started off pulling worm harnesses for them. That bite, as per usual, was consistent. After we got close to our limit, we converted to jigging and closed out the day strong.

After 2 days on the water, there were a lot of firsts for this crew. John has been fishing with me for years and has caught everything there is to catch around here. However, Paul caught his first bass and laker (and many more). Ken caught his first walleye. All had a blast and I’m thankful Mother Nature gave us good enough conditions to pull it all off.

09/17/2026 – Ernie Calandrelli Assist

Fished the Lower Niagara out of Fort Niagara with Turk, Chris, and Eugene. This was part of a multi-boat trip for Ernie Calandrelli. The goal was our limit of walleyes, so we got after it.

The crew was an absolute blast—conversation and ball busting flowed all morning long. Oh yeah, they landed some giants, too. It was the biggest box of nine walleyes I’ve ever put together.

I don’t spend much time on the Lower this time of year, as Erie commands my time and interest. Over the years—and this changes as the fishery changes—I’ve developed an annual pattern that works for me.

Folks always ask me what my favorite fish is to target or where I like to fish most around here. My favorite fish is a smallmouth bass—casting finesse baits for them is my favorite thing to do. However, I couldn’t—or wouldn’t—want to do that daily. My best response to the question is that variety is the spice of life for me. I like change.

I’ll be spending a lot of time on the Lower in the upcoming months. It’s showing signs of awesomeness already.

09/18/2026 – Choose Your Own Adventure

Fished Lake Erie out of Barcelona Harbor, NY with Dan, Jeff, and Brian. I fished with Dan and Jeff back in June—we landed our limit of walleyes and went bassing afterward. The day before this trip, I asked Dan what he wanted to do.

He said that he and Jeff still had some walleyes left over from the last trip, so they were interested in trying something new—with the caveat that it would be nice if we could get some walleyes, as Brian wanted to take a few home. My response was that I had just the itinerary: meet me at Barci and we’ll go giant hunting.

There was some BIG chop caused by ENE winds so the ride to the fish was adventurous to say the least. The lake trout bite was ridiculous. We had at least four doubles and caught countless more. As I mentioned in last week’s post, I’m super careful with these fish and only take pictures sparingly in favor of keeping them wet and alive. Below is a small sample of what happened.

For all of them, these were the biggest fish they’d ever caught. After a few hours of this, with worn-out arms, we pivoted to walleye fishing. We jigged a couple and pulled harnesses for the rest.

Another awesome session out of Barci.

09/19/2026 – If it Ain’t Broke…

Fished Lake Erie out of Barcelona Harbor, NY with Jonathan, Darryl, and Zach. I fished with Jon and Zach for the first time back in April. That was a brutal day of bassing. The action was excellent, but the wind, rain, and cold froze our hands and caused us to end early. It was so cold that Jonathan couldn’t get his hand into his pockets to grab his wallet at the end of the day. I recommended that they book another day when it was warmer and that I’d take them on a different adventure.

So, we met at Barci and executed the laker/walleye multispecies program I’ve been doing lately. It was a gorgeous morning—light chop from an ENE wind, partly cloudy, and temperatures in the 60s. The laker bite was consistent. After a couple of hours, sore arms welcomed a change to walleyes.

The Waldo bite was OK—about a six-fish-per-hour pace. A lot of the fish were on the skinny side. There was no shortage of fish around, but for some reason, they were a little picky. Take that with a grain of salt, though—I’m comparing it to a summer of slaughter sessions.

It was a great day—a lot of firsts for the crew, plus biggest fish ever caught.

Making memories!

09/20/2026 – Sickness Cancellation

I was supposed to take out a father/son duo today. However, the son called me the afternoon prior to tell me he’d been fighting a nasty flu all week and hadn’t recovered from it enough to enjoy a day on the water. So, my September streak came to an end. I used the day off to detail the boat and hit the gym.

Seasonal Assessment/General Observations

Hopefully, the daily commentary above provides enough insight into what’s going on. Walleyes are on the move, salmon are moving into the rivers and creeks, bass are on the feed, and the trout are packing on weight in preparation for their spawning run.

Oh yeah, the leaves are starting to turn. Driving down 90, I’ve seen more than a handful of reds, oranges, and yellows popping. The autumnal equinox is in a couple of days.

I’m pumped—fall insanity is here, folks.

Buffalo NY Fishing Report – Forecast for 09/21/2026 – 09/27/2026

I’ll be out of town next week—taking a trip to VA to visit my bro Brian. We’ll likely fish Smith Mountain Reservoir and maybe some of the Shenandoah National Park creeks. It’ll be nice to take a small break before fall insanity gets into full swing.

The mornings have been chilly of late, and some of the sunrises have been incredible. Wind is a near-daily consideration. Every day that passes, I can feel anxiousness building around me (and internally if I’m honest). It’s hard to describe, but you can feel it when you’re outside every day. Anyway, my fall schedule is packed, and things are about to get really wild. Stay tuned.

Stay healthy, my friends. Mentally and physically,

Ryan

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